Elinda City
by Elana
Summary: Just before ANH, Han and Chewie visit a familiar planet looking for work. But the Empire has gotten there first.


This was written for the Non-Star Wars Movie Quotation Roulette Challenge at TF.n. We were ramdomly assigned famous quotes from other movies and challenged to work them into a Star Wars story. My quote: "Yes, it used to be beautiful—what with the rackets, whoring, and guns." ATLANTIC CITY (1980)

**Elinda City**

The blue and white curve of Elinda stretched below the _Millennium Falcon_ as Chewbacca maneuvered the ship into the planet's standard approach lane. A light on the console flashed, indicating an incoming transmission.

He hit the control, and a voice echoed through the cabin. "This is the Imperial garrison at Elinda. All incoming ships must submit to inspection upon landing. Permission to land will be granted upon receipt of your agreement to these terms."

Chewie shot a puzzled glance at Han. One of the reasons Elinda had always been popular with smugglers and others who operated on the wrong side of the law was its lack of Imperial presence.

Han shrugged. "Go ahead and let them. It's not like we have anything on board they can find."

The Wookiee ruefully acknowledged the truth of that statement.

Hand shook his head. "A hundred and fifty kilos of spice, straight into a sun. I still can't believe we had to dump it."

If they hadn't, they would undoubtedly be locked away in some Imperial prison right now, Chewie reminded Han

"True. But we'd better find some business on Elinda that will earn us enough to pay Jabba back, or we are going to be in deep, deep trouble."

If anything, that was an understatement. Chewie signaled their willingness to comply and received official clearance to land. He guided the ship down to its assigned berth in the spaceport on the outskirts of Elinda's one major settlement, imaginatively known as Elinda City.

The inspection party, two Stormtroopers and an officer, was waiting when they lowered the ramp. Han waved expansively around the ship. "She's all yours, gentlemen. We've got nothing to hide. Chewie, show them around the ship while I go take care of the docking fee."

Chewie rumbled his acknowledgment. He ignored the scornful look the officer gave him. Humans tended to forget that a being who didn't speak Basic aloud might still understand it perfectly well. Wookiees generally chose to confine their vocal communication to their native language, since their mouths were unsuited to the phonemes of Basic, and it was damaging to one's dignity to try to make oneself understood in the heavily accented, barely understandable approximation of Basic that was all most Wookiees were capable of. Beside, it was sometimes useful to be considered little more than a bipedal animal. People tended to talk freely around those they didn't expect could understand them.

Sure enough, as soon as Han disappeared and Chewie directed the inspectors onto the ship, the officer began talking to his subordinates as if the Wookiee wasn't even there. "JH-1437, you take the aft compartment, while you run the scan, PD-83. I'll go make sure the weapons systems fall within spec. I don't expect to find anything. They'd have put up more of a fuss about the inspection if there were anything to find. But you can never be too careful. Hopefully when word gets around about the changes here, the traffic in would-be smugglers will dry up and we won't be bothered with scum like this anymore. Can't happen soon enough to suit me."

The inspection was completed fairly quickly. Chewie escorted the Imperials off the ship, shut down and locked up, and went to join Han. He reported the officer's remarks to his partner as they left the spaceport.

"Changes, huh? Don't like the sound of that. Still, Imperials don't usually see what's right under their noses. Let's go check out Serrano's, see what he's got for us." He led the way along Elinda City's main thoroughfare, down toward the oceanfront entertainment district.

Elinda City was located on the eastern edge of one of the planet's large continents. It boasted great natural beauty. Heavy forests blanketed mountains only a few kilometers from a rocky seacoast. The entrepreneurs that developed Elinda saw its potential immediately, and had capitalized on its native gifts by building an exotic resort that catered to the richest and most discriminating customers. There were plentiful water sports in the summer and snow sports in the winter, but Elinda City's main attraction was the waterfront boulevard lined with casinos. High stakes gamblers from around the galaxy came to Elinda to wager vast sums while being entertained in the utmost luxury.

Naturally, the gambling industry had attracted its usual entourage of quasi-legal and outright illicit activities. Scammers and confidence artists of all types flocked to Elinda to relieve the wealthy clientele of their excess cash. A few blocks away from the elegant casinos along the waterfront was a district of smaller but more egalitarian businesses, where pretty much anything could be obtained for the right price. Han had always had excellent luck finding business here, and had a number of contacts who kept an eye out for jobs that might suit one of the small freelance smugglers that ran the trade lanes under the Empire's nose.

Trailing behind Han as he headed toward the business where one of those contacts was located, Chewie was the first to detect something wrong. He wrinkled his nose as his sharp sense of smell picked up the stink of old burning. As they rounded the corner onto the oceanfront boulevard, they saw the source of the odor. The largest, most elegant of the casinos was dark and boarded over, one side blackened where fire had gutted a large section.

Han stopped and studied the building. "Could have been just an accidental fire, I guess."

Chewie shook his head and pointed to streaks of soot that peppered the building, clustered particularly heavily around the main entrance.

"You're right. That looks like the remains of blaster fire. Stick close, Chewie. I don't like what I'm starting to suspect."

They turned down a side street and made their way toward Serrano's bar. Chewie felt a growing sense of uneasiness. The streets were much too quiet. At this hour of the early evening business should be beginning to pick up. Customers should be starting to fill the restaurants and casinos, getting an early start on the evening's entertainment. But only a handful of beings traveled the wide avenues tonight, and they walked with intent purpose, not the casual stroll that Chewie was used to seeing here. His hand idly went to his bowcaster, making sure it was loose in its holster, and ran over the rounds of ammunition in his bandolier. As was his habit, he had restocked his supply before leaving the ship. The full tally reassured him. He didn't seriously anticipate trouble, but it never hurt to be prepared. Just in case.

Gaudy lights spangled the front of the business they sought. They entered and took seats at the bar. The bartender came to take their orders. Han slipped him a credit note. "Tell the owner a couple old buddies of his want to swap war stories."

The bartender jumped, and studied Han nervously. His fear was acrid in Chewie's nose. Chewie glanced worriedly at Han. That was the usual code phrase, after all. It shouldn't provoke this kind of reaction, as if the bartender suspected they might be carrying a thermal detonator programmed to go off at any moment.

Finally the man tucked the credit note into a pocket and went off into the back, muttering and shaking his head. Without having to consult, Han and Chewie settled into their guard position for a potentially threatening situation. Han leaned casually on the bar, sipping his drink, angled so that his blaster was in easy reach and clear to be drawn at a moment's notice. His eyes scanned half the room. Chewie's back was to Han so he could cover the other half. He could drink freely, for alcohol had little effect on a Wookiee's physiology, but he was ready to drop his cup and go for his bowcaster at the slightest provocation.

A few moments later the pair relaxed a bit as Darrick Serrano, the owner of the bar, came though the door from the back. Chewie eyed him warily. He was the same nondescript, middle-aged human male they had always dealt with, but something about him seemed different. He pasty white face held a haunted expression that had never been there before.

"Han, Chewie, good to see you." He gave a reasonable approximation of his usual hearty welcome, but still Chewie got the distinct impression that in fact they were the last people in the galaxy Serrano wanted to see right now. "What can I get you? You must be hungry for some real food. How long have you been on space rations this time?"

"Long enough. Why don't you tell us about today's specials?" That was the code that indicated they were looking for a job.

Serrano looked around anxiously, although there were only a few other customers, and they were all seated at tables across the room. "No specials today, sorry. Just the regular menu fare." He seemed ready to bolt at any moment.

Han leaned toward him. "Look, Darrick, do you have a private room? Somewhere we can relax. And talk."

Chewie still had the feeling Serrano was putting on a performance for an unseen audience. "Ah… of course. Right this way. Best in the house for valued customers like you." He led the way through a discreet door at the end of the bar, down a hall and into a small room furnished with only a few tables.

As soon as they were inside and the door closed behind them, Han rounded on Serrano. "What's with the big act, Darrick? Is it safe to talk in here? What's going on?"

Serrano pulled a device from his belt and used it to scan the room. Finding nothing, he waved them to a table. "I think we're secure in here. But you can never be too careful these days. You picked a bad time to show up, Han."

"I take it the Empire's been cracking down?"

"More than that. They've taken over. Shut everybody down."

"What, did somebody get behind on the payoff, or get greedy and try to cheat them out of it?"

"No! Everything was fine. Business was great. All the usual bribes were delivered same as always. Best we can figure is the Empire needed an easy target. For a while there we were plastered all over the Holonet. You know the spiel. How the Emperor is tough on criminals, cleaning up corruption, making the galaxy safe for decent people…. It was just our bad luck he picked Elinda to make an example of this time. I'm surprised you didn't hear about it."

"I never watch the Holonet," Han growled. "Nothing but lies and propaganda. So they wiped out everybody? What about Madella and her girls?"

"Them too. They shut down all the pleasure houses. Sent the girls off to the reeducation camps."

Han swore. Chewie eyed him sympathetically. Madella Orv's house had been one of their regular stops here.

"What about the weapons dealers?" Chewie could tell Han was getting desperate. They usually didn't run weapons, not considering the payoff worth the risk.

"Are you kidding? They were the first to go."

"So you've got nothing for me?"

Serrano shrugged. "There's no cargo for anyone. I only managed to stay open at all because the restaurant is legit. And even there I'm barely breaking even. All my best sellers are on the banned list now. My best advice would be to ship out and give Elinda a wide berth for the next few years, until the Empire's attention turns elsewhere."

"Yeah." Han took a long swig of his drink. "Looks like we haven't got much choice."

He reached for credits, but Serrano waved them away. "It's on the house. Let me get you a meal, too."

"Sure. Whatever." Han leaned back as Serrano bustled from the room, propping his boots on a neighboring chair. His attitude of exaggerated calm was a dead give away to Chewie that he was deeply troubled.

"So what do you think, pal? Looks like we haven't got any alternative but to head to Tatooine and see what we can find there."

A storm of protest arose from Chewie's throat.

"I know, I know. Believe me, I hate the idea of getting so close to Jabba before we've got the money to settle up with him. But with Elinda wiped out, it's the only place in the sector we're likely to find a job big enough."

Chewie still didn't like the idea, but had to admit Han was right. He contented himself with some annoyed rumbles.

Serrano brought the promised meal, and they ate in silence. The food was indeed far better than what they usually had available on the _Falcon_, though not nearly as good as what Serrano had always served before. They finished and bid Serrano good-bye.

They made their way through the too-quiet streets back toward the spaceport. As they walked along the oceanfront past the burned-out casino, Han paused and gazed out over the water. He leaned on the railing, looking down at the waves that crashed on the rocks a few meters below. The ocean breeze ruffled Chewie's fur, and above the distant music that blared from speakers set at intervals along the street he could hear the mournful cry of seabirds.

"Do you ever get tired of it, Chewie?"

Han's tone was bleak. Chewie made an inquisitive noise.

"Oh, of everything. This life. Smuggling, always being on the run…. I used to love it. Most times I still do. It's just when things like this happen…. I wonder if there will be a place for us much longer. Sometimes I think nothing will ever stop the Empire, that it will just keep hammering away until nothing's left."

Chewie made a rude comment on his opinion of the Empire's competence.

"I know. There's probably nothing to worry about. People like us will always find a way around them somehow. Except for those that get caught, and pay the price…."

For a moment more he stared out at the horizon. Then he shook himself and beckoned for Chewie to follow.

They went back to the _Falcon_ and powered up. While they were out the refueling and reprovisioning had been completed, so they were free to leave. They blasted off, leaving the forests and ocean and city behind them.

As the nav computer worked out the coordinates for their jump to Tatooine, Chewie looked down one last time at the swirling white clouds above the planet's mottled blue and green surface. He expressed his regret that they would not be returning. It was such a beautiful world.

Han followed his gaze. "Yes, it used to be beautiful – what with the rackets, whoring, and guns." The nav computer beeped. "Ready for hyperspace. Go ahead and make the jump."

Chewbacca manipulated the controls, and the Falcon jumped into hyperspace, the planet and the surrounding stars blurring into long streaks of light before they disappeared.


End file.
